The mood at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy on Saturday afternoon. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a team that had conceded a total of 10 goals while managing only two goals in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Unraveling?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or had there never been a thread holding it together to start with? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager in the summer transfer window, but then he publicly stated that the board had not mentioned the transfer ban they were set to be hit with for accounting issues. Speculation that his departure was imminent were without basis, but he stated that Lotito had "deceived" him.
The Biancocelesti appeared equally disorganized on the pitch as off the field, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing their other opening fixtures, featuring the derby della Capitale. At any given moment, it has been hard to tell if they are improving or self-destructing.
Cancellieri's Unforeseen Presence
At least one man continued to smile throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to feature for Lazio this year. He was on the last one on loan at Parma and, during the summer break, Lazio were pushing for him to extend his stay a while longer. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to reduce their roster without replacements.
Cancellieri arrived initially under Sarri's first spell, back then just 20 years old alumnus of Verona's academy. He made 20 league appearances with the club in the 2022-23 season, almost all of those as a substitute. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who departed at the end of that season, later stated Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Discovering His Best Role
It's possible the coach was still trying to work out the nature of his skill set. Originally described as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself the majority of that term as an ineffective backup to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. Across 63 games during spells with Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
